In many ways this episode parallels last season’s finale; it consisted mostly of Barry having conversations about how he should use his powers with different people — only this time with the added twist that all of them are physical manifestations of the Speed Force. Unsurprisingly, the most compelling of these encounters was Barry speaking with the specter of his late mother. All throughout this season, Barry has been grappling with physical consequences such as the singularity and the dimensional breeches that came from his time traveling, but now he was finally forced to grapple with the emotional implications of letting his mother die. One thing that has been consistent throughout the show about Barry’s character is his need to have his decisions validated by other people; this encounter allowed for him to get his mother’s blessing for his choice not to save her, which gave him the closure he desperately need. His final words to his mother saw his character more at peace than we’ve seen him in quite a while.
As in the comics, it was Barry’s connection with Iris that pulled him out of the Speed Force, with Iris’s recent confession still fresh on Barry’s mind; seeing the two reach out to hold hands across dimensions was probably of the series most romantic moment. While it seems the show is holding off on seeing the two properly kiss until the season finale, Barry and Iris now at least seem to be on the same emotional page now that both of their feelings now being out in the open, giving their interactions a new sense of tenderness and intimacy that seems to signify good things to come. The two of them have one of the strongest and most enjoyable dynamics one the show when they are actually allowed to be open with one another instead of hiding behind layers and miscommunications and secrets.
The episode’s only weak spot was the zombie Girder subplot. Quite apart from it being remarkable how nonplussed everyone was that someone they knew came back to life, it was totally superfluous to the main plot. There was plenty of drama already between Barry’s disappearance, Zoom’s invasion, and Jesse’s coma; while there were a few funny moments with Cisco and Iris, ultimately this subplot felt like a waste of time that could have been spent better developing the woefully two-dimensional Zoom and his apparently limitless supply of cronies.
With the penultimate episode airing next week, it’s almost a given the show attempt to raise the stakes before the finale. Considering Henry just decided to permanently stay in Central City to be with his son, like Barry always wanted, it seems likely that something sinister will happen to prevent him from doing so that also ups the emotional ante. It’s worth noting that in the comics, Henry had a heart attack right before he was finally released from jail. While we obviously won’t be seeing a direct adaptation from that storyline since Henry’s already out of jail, it’s not hard to see how a somewhat similar plot could play out with Henry dying right before he returns home. It would be a bit of a dark twist, but considering the show has been trying to veer into edgier territory these last few episodes, it may not be too far out of the realm of possibility.
It’s also unclear at the moment if being lost in the speed force changed or amplified Barry’s powers in any way, but I’d be surprised if he came out without any sort of special side effects. The fact that he was able to get Jesse out of her coma may be hinting that Barry now has the ability to awaken other speedsters’ powers (which also explains why Wally, who hasn’t had any contact with Barry, seems for the moment to be unaffected by the explosion). But considering Zoom is basically a speed vampire, Barry creating new speedsters could very well be as much of a curse as it is a blessing.
Written by Kaitlin Roberts, THE FLASH Beat Writer -- Click to read Kaitlin's posts
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